1864. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



86 



For the Nezc England Farmer. 

 CLOTHES-WRINGER. 



The Universal Clothes Wringer is manufactured 

 by the Metropolitan Washing Machine Company, 

 Middleford, Conn., and sold by Julius Ives & Co., 

 317 Broadway, New York. 



Every one, almost, has realized the horrors of 

 washing day, the lifting and tugging and wring- 

 ing and twisting and contortions of muscles it has 

 introduced, and in many instances the severe 

 headaches and rheumatic pains that have followed. 

 Among the labors of the day there has probably 

 been no manipulation more trying to the strength 

 and patience than "wringing out the clothes." 

 This has called for "bone and muscle" operation, 

 necessarily performed over the wash tub, when, 

 by opening the pores of the system, and after- 

 wards going into a cool place, usually out of doors, 

 the operator was very liable to take cold. The 

 introduction of clothes-wringers, of which there 

 are now several patents, all good for aught I know, 

 has the effect to do away with all this hard, ser- 

 vile labor, in addition to other advantages. 



The Universal Clothes Wringer appears to be built 

 for the greatest durability. It can be guaged in a 

 moment to wring any article from the size of a strip 

 of lace to a bed blanket, and removes the water more 

 thoroughly than can be done by hands. It wrings 

 frail articles without injuring their texture, and 

 leaves every article smooth and in good condition 

 of drying. In addition to its labor-saving merits, 

 it is cloth-saving, and I have no doubt but that 

 more than twice the cost of the machine may be 

 saved in the wear of cloth over the old hand- 

 wringing, before the machine needs repairs. 



In making the foregoing remarks I have no in- 

 terests to promote, and no object in view other 

 than speaking the merits of what all will find to 

 be a great improvement. William Bacon. 



Richmond, Jan. 20, 1864. 



Fur the New England Farmer. 

 CUTTING FEED FOR HORSES. 



Messrs. Editors : — I am a subscriber to the 

 New England Farmer, and take great interest in 

 reading the communications of many of your able 

 correspondents. The only fault I have to find 

 with them is, that many of their views suggested 

 are beauriful in theory, but not practical enough 

 to suit the purse of those of your readers who 

 "earn their living by the sweat of their brow ;" 

 although I admit not visionary to that extent 

 which we find in many other agricultural papers. 

 I have in my mind one agricultural paper from a 

 New England press, which might circulate among 

 the merchant-princes who have retired to Brook- 

 line and vicinity to spend their money, but which 

 should be excluded by law from the household of 

 every man not worth fifty thousand dollars, and 

 from those men, even, if inclined to be at all vis- 

 ionary. But I leave this subject here to ask your 

 subscribers a practical question, which I hope 

 some who have experimented in the matter may 

 answer, with their reasons in favor of their posi- 

 tion. 



The question upon which I want information is 

 this: 



Is it of advantage to a horse to cut his feed, 

 and is it a more economical way for his owner to 

 support him, than by feeding his hay and grain 

 separately ? 



This, certainly, is an important question to be 

 considered now, if never before, from the fact of 

 the high price of hay and grain ; and if there is 

 economy in preparing feed for horses by this 

 method, myself, in common with other New Eng- 

 land farmers, would be glad to know it. I have 

 never used a cutter, and, therefore, cannot speak 

 of their advantage ; but I do know that I find in 

 almost every stable a cutter, generally in a retired 

 corner, where it has stood for years unused. 



I have noticed some good farmers, who have 

 bought a cutter, spoke highly of its benefits, but 

 seldom used it after the first winter. Now, Messrs. 

 Editors, do these men find feeding chopped feed 

 profitable ? Is there sufficient saving to balance 

 the extra labor of chopping and preparing such 

 feed, and is the horse in better condition for work, 

 or travel, than when kept by the usual method ? 

 1 hope through your columns, some "who know 

 whereof they affirm," may give us the results of 

 their experiments in this matter, and also the best 

 kind of cutter in use, with its price. J. F. L. 



Lee, N. H., Jan. 4, 1864. 



Remarks. — This is an important j^raciipal ques- 

 tion, and we hope some of our correspondents 

 will answer the query. Our opinions upon it are 

 decided, and have been gained by long experi- 

 ence. We waive them for the present, hoping to 

 hear from others. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 VALUE OF ROOTS IN FATTENING HOGS. 



Mr. Editor : — Allow me a word in reference 

 to an article published in your columns several 

 weeks since, relating to the value of roots for fat- 

 tening hogs. 



I have fattened the past season eight hogs, 

 whose average weight was 452 pounds. The five 

 heaviest averaging 5o9, and the heaviest one 

 weighing 612 pounds. These hogs were fed large- 

 ly upon boiled vegetables, pumpkins, potatoes, 

 carrots, and sometimes turnips mixed "with prov- 

 ender, consisting of three parts rye, buckwheat or 

 barley, and one part corn, till within three weeks 

 of their slaughtering ; after which they were fed 

 with five to six quarts of corn meal daily, all their 

 food being thoroughly scalded and salted. From 

 this single trial I am satisfied that the opinion of 

 your correspondent in this matter is correct, and 

 that if farmers would generally apply /u* theory to 

 their practice, we should hear less grumbling over 

 the cost of making pork. A Subscriber. 



State Farm, N. Meriden, CL, Jan. 9//t. 



Sorghum Sugar. — The Washington Republi- 

 can says : "An experiment was made in the De- 

 partment of Agriculture before a large number 

 of persons, clearly demonstrating the practicabili- 

 ty of every man in the North making his own 

 sugar. A gentleman from Nebraska, Mr. J. F. 

 Riggs, who is about taking out a patent for his 

 process, was the operator. From sorghum syrup, 

 sent to the department for exhibition, in the course 

 of a few moments he produced a clean sugar equal 

 in all respects to the best coffee sugar, the residue 

 of the syrup proving to be an excellently-flavored 

 article, strongly resembling amber or golden syr- 

 up of the shops, and entirely free from sorghum 

 taste." 



